how to bond with bearded dragon and is over handleing bad

Status
Not open for further replies.
i have a bearded dragon who has had a very scary life with multiple owners and a incident not involving me that is talked about in my other post i try to keep him out of his cage for a few hours a day because it would suck to live in a cage i am not always holding him during this time he is usually sitting in his blanket next to me or outside in the sun because i live in Arizona i always sit next to him while hes outside but he has had stress mark for a long time could this be because of me he has only been aggressive towards me once he didn't bite but he puffed up and opened his mouth looking quite intimidating

If you care about reptiles please consider signing this petition http://chng.it/BqzRX65Y
 

dave93245

Member
I am no expert in dragon behavior but my dragon Jim is very afraid when outside. As long as I am holding him or he is hanging from my shirt he is ok but if I sit him on the grass he puffs up and stresses out. I think the open sky and fear of preditors causes him a lot of stress so when I do take him out side its always in hand since he seems to be ok with that. I do believe he needs some natural sun light for better health so I try to find ways to get him out without stressing him too much. When I first got Jim he was very young and it took a lot of time to develop a trust with him but a little hand feeding and just being around him a lot has created a relationship of trust probably because he knows he will get treats. As for picking him up it is best to approach him from a level where he can see you coming rather than over head and suddenly but having a 100 gal fish tank for his current home I have to come in from above. I do make a point of reaching in a little ways from him so he can see me then try to pick him up from the side or front rather than the top. Jim seems to like this approach better some times he will walk on to my hand knowing its time for bugs since I feed him outside of his enclosure. Jim appears to enjoy just sitting on my chest in the house and watching the dogs wander around, he shows no fear of the dogs but I don't let him run around the floor with them in side because my 135 pound very friendly Rottweiler is clumsy and may step on him so to be safe I keep them separate with occasional carefully monitored visitation.
 

TurtugaTom

Member
Original Poster
dave93245":3sc2lueu said:
I am no expert in dragon behavior but my dragon Jim is very afraid when outside. As long as I am holding him or he is hanging from my shirt he is ok but if I sit him on the grass he puffs up and stresses out. I think the open sky and fear of preditors causes him a lot of stress so when I do take him out side its always in hand since he seems to be ok with that. I do believe he needs some natural sun light for better health so I try to find ways to get him out without stressing him too much. When I first got Jim he was very young and it took a lot of time to develop a trust with him but a little hand feeding and just being around him a lot has created a relationship of trust probably because he knows he will get treats. As for picking him up it is best to approach him from a level where he can see you coming rather than over head and suddenly but having a 100 gal fish tank for his current home I have to come in from above. I do make a point of reaching in a little ways from him so he can see me then try to pick him up from the side or front rather than the top. Jim seems to like this approach better some times he will walk on to my hand knowing its time for bugs since I feed him outside of his enclosure. Jim appears to enjoy just sitting on my chest in the house and watching the dogs wander around, he shows no fear of the dogs but I don't let him run around the floor with them in side because my 135 pound very friendly Rottweiler is clumsy and may step on him so to be safe I keep them separate with occasional carefully monitored visitation.


My bearded dragon has no problem being outside he has been going outside for a few months now it was just 1 time he got angry and I do approach from a angle where he can see me the majority of the time unless he is in a position where I can't I've been trying hand feeding it worked once but hasn't since then I think this is because I think he feels like I tricked him he used to love mango and the first time I tried to hand feed him I used yellow squash he seemed to like it but since then he won't eat mango or squash so I think he thought the squash was mango and that's why but since then he won't eat from my hand

Thanks for the response
 

dave93245

Member
From what I gather every dragon is different in their likes and personalities I try to offer a large variety of veggies some he likes some he doesn't not too much fruit but he does love blueberries once in a while, bugs are best for hand feeding for Jim horn worms are like crack. In fact any worm is high on his list, his staple feeders are dubia roaches I through in some crickets, superworms, and horn worms once in a while.
 

saraho

Hatchling Member
I think beardie's tastes change. Charlie goes through phases where he seems to love one food in particular but then refuses it after. He's picky anyway. He's usually willing to try foods that are reds and oranges but balks at greens. Maybe your beardie has developed a color preference.
 

TurtugaTom

Member
Original Poster
saraho":3hp1g0i6 said:
I think beardie's tastes change. Charlie goes through phases where he seems to love one food in particular but then refuses it after. He's picky anyway. He's usually willing to try foods that are reds and oranges but balks at greens. Maybe your beardie has developed a color preference.

Ok thanks
 

loljelloclowdz

Juvie Member
Mari doesn’t mind me holding her and she will simply walk away when she’s not in the mood to be handled. Don’t let their past intimidate you from forming a bond with your animal, feel free to burrito them and cradle them and play with their tail and little leggies and beard and lie down and let them climb on you, etc. they will simply walk away when they don’t want to play anymore.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Latest resources

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,899
Messages
1,255,680
Members
75,965
Latest member
williamyoung
Top Bottom